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Sunday, January 8, 2017

Beaver Dam rest area closure temporary

A popular rest stop on the Wendell Ford-Western Kentucky Parkway has temporarily closed its doors and switched off the gas pumps as the lease with the current vendor has expired and a recent bid process was terminated due to the bidder's failure to provide complete information.

The Beaver Dam rest area, located in the median of the Parkway at mile marker 75, will be closed temporarily. This stopover is along the Parkway between the U.S. 231 interchange and the William H. Natcher Parkway interchange in Ohio County.

Motorists who plan to travel the Parkway should be aware that no services will be available, including restrooms, food service and gasoline purchases during the closure. Truck parking will also be prohibited.

Because of liability issues, the state decided to close the rest area when an agreement administered between the Finance Cabinet and vendor expired. The closure took effect because the current vendor provided an incomplete response to the state's request for proposals and was non-responsive to the state's request for more information.

“The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is currently in a bidding process. After the current vendor turned in an incomplete application, the Cabinet was forced to actively begin seeking a new one for the Beaver Dam rest area,” said Asa James Swan, chief of staff of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “We are eager to get a new contract in place to reopen this popular rest area as soon as possible."

The Cabinet has not established a timeframe for its reopening, but anticipates, in conjunction with the Finance Cabinet, offering a request for proposal soon. Re-opening the Beaver Dam rest area will be a top priority for KYTC.

In the meantime, KYTC personnel will establish temporary message boards to alert the public and will barricade entry ramps at the site.

Food and gasoline services are available nearby at the U.S. 231 Beaver Dam exit 75 interchange.